In spite of these jabs and the negative commentary, however, Internet Explorer had continued to account for over 50 percent of all web browsers used – mainly because it came with every computer that operated on Windows. It’s hold, however, ended in October.

Due to the increase in Apple products using Safari, such as the iPhone and iPad, and Firefox’s growing popularity, Internet Explorer is no longer able to account for over 50 percent of browsing on the web – a percentage it relinquishes after a decade long hold. The only area in which the browser maintains its majority status, at 52.63 percent, is with desktop browsers – otherwise, it is becoming more and more obsolete, especially as the dependency on mobile browsing rises.

As of right now, Internet Explorer only accounts for 6 percent of browsing on smartphones and tablets. Safari on the other hand, has a majority of the mobile market with an astonishing 62.17 percent – most of which the iPhone can be thanked. Firefox, which is the second most popular overall browser, accounts for 21.20 percent of traffic, while Chrome and Safari account for just a fraction more than Firefox when combined.

While Internet Explorer is still the most widely used browser, most people are wondering who actually still uses IE, and a majority of those users are most likely those who are too lazy to change their default browser after they purchased a PC operating on Windows.

Unfortunately, Internet Explorer will only continue to lose ground as more and more mobile devices take over where desktops and laptops leave off. Simply put, people love their smartphones and tablets because of their portability, and their use has exponentially grown over the first year alone. Unless Internet Explorer evolves to offer an exceptional browsing experience, it will most likely lose out to Firefox in the near future and become nonexistent in the mobile browsing world.

Which really isn’t all the bad considering that only those of lower intelligence actually uses the browser. It’s simply a matter of survival of the fittest.

So as you know, Microsoft has unveiled its latest IE 9 beta browser. The new IE 9 for Microsoft Windows brings a lot of performance improvements to the internet browser. But what’s more significant is the number of features that have been removed, hidden or realigned in order to make the web experience much more comfortable. Here’s a roundup of all that you have to expect with this new browser version

Minimal Branding – Microsoft has simplified the title bar to remove all its branding efforts and the result is rather impressive. The entire browser is given a sober look in order to bring more focus to the website itself. Dean Hatchamovitch, the General Manager of the Internet Explorer division explains the philosophy as, “How can we quiet the browser so that the site shines?”

Warnings & Notifications – Unlike the earlier versions of the Internet Explorer, the new 9.0 version relegates the notification dialogs to the bottom corner of the window so that the user can attend to them at their convenience.

Tab Management – Managing tabs has been simplified and similar to what you see on Google Chrome, users can simply click and drag a tab to a new window, merge a tab with an existing window or dock them to the side of the pane.

Private OneBox – Another area where Microsoft seems to have taken inspiration from Google Chrome is the new private OneBox. The new version of Internet Explorer no longer contains a separate search box on the top right of the window. Instead, users may simply type a URL or search query on the address bar to get started.

Pinned Shortcuts – Users may now access their favorite websites via a new feature called pinned shortcuts. To pin a shortcut, simply click on the favicon of your favorite website and drag it on to the TaskBar of your desktop. You will then be able to access your favorite websites in just a single click.

The upcoming MIX 2010 conference could see Microsoft demoing its new version of Internet Explorer. Rumors are doing the rounds that the new Internet Explorer 9.0 may offer extended support to open web standards including support to HTML 5 and SVG Vector Graphics standard.

As PCWorld notes, Microsoft has often been ridiculed in the past for the non-adherence to open web standards and this has also been a primary argument against the company in its attempt to monopolize the browser market. The shift to more open web standards could mark a new beginning for the company as it tries to ward off growing competition from the likes of Mozilla and Google in what has been a lucrative market for advertising revenues.